Studio Series Rebrand
for Merida Studio | 2024 | Art Direction, Photography, Branding, Project Management
Repositioning Merida Studio’s legacy collection to clarify its role within an art-first brand and restore growth through focus and restraint.
The Studio Series Rebrand reframed Merida Studio’s legacy collection within its newly established identity as an art textile studio. Formerly known as the Portfolio series, this body of work had long been the studio’s commercial backbone — but as the brand evolved toward artist residencies and collectible design, the series became conceptually unclear. The rebrand clarified its role, strengthened its relationship to the artist series, and reestablished it as a foundational, art-informed collection for interior designers.
By reducing options, refining language, and using neutrality as a tool, the rebrand shifted attention from color to structure, craft, and potential.
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Problem
Merida Studio had, since 2018, operated with two major bodies of work: the Atelier series (its artist series) and the Portfolio series. As the studio transitioned away from manufacturing toward an art-first model, the Portfolio series no longer fit cleanly within the brand. Sales began to decline, and the sales team struggled to explain how the Portfolio series related to the artist series — or why one was highly customizable while the other was not. Longtime clients still associated the studio with its earlier identities, creating confusion that weakened both perception and performance.
The rebrand needed to launch at the start of 2025, leaving a two-week window to photograph the collection, edit imagery, update the website, produce tearsheets, and prepare marketing materials. There was no budget for photography or external production, requiring in-house execution and borrowed resources. Strategically, the rebrand could not undermine the Atelier series’ collectible status and had to maintain the studio’s art-forward tone while clearly communicating adaptability and accessibility for designers.
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Solution
The solution centered on focus, clarity, and restraint. First, we eliminated multiple preset colorways per design and selected a single, intentional colorway for each piece — mirroring the curated structure of the artist series and removing mixed signals around customization. We reduced the total number of designs to communicate intentionality and reduce client decision fatigue.
Next, we renamed the Portfolio series the Studio Series, reframing it as the work of the studio’s in-house designers — deeply informed by years of collaboration with resident artists. Within this structure, the artist series could stand as limited-edition, collectible works, while the Studio Series became the adaptable, foundational layer: art-informed, but built for everyday spaces.
A neutral palette was curated to remove color as a distraction, allowing clients to focus on structure, weave, and potential. Photography emphasized process, materiality, and locality — shot inside the Fall River workshop with looms and furniture by local makers — while language positioned the Studio Series as the place where artistic knowledge becomes versatile design.
This project required close collaboration across teams and partners. I worked with the Design Team and Gallery Manager to curate the neutral palette and determine how designs would be presented and grouped online. I coordinated furniture loans with local makers, managed consignment agreements, and worked alongside workshop craftsmen to execute the shoot efficiently within the tight timeline. Clear visual references, daily communication, and decisive documentation ensured alignment from concept through launch.
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Results
The Studio Series Rebrand clarified the studio’s offering and restored confidence internally and externally. Clients gained a clearer understanding of how the Studio Series and artist series work together — foundational layers and statement artwork — rather than as competing bodies of work.
The impact was measurable. In 2024, the Portfolio series saw 117 sales totaling $1,363,930. After the Studio Series rebrand, 2025 recorded 306 sales totaling $2,202,784 — a 165% increase in sales following the relaunch. Beyond revenue, sales conversations became more focused, designers engaged more confidently, and the studio’s art-first identity became easier to understand and support.
The Studio Series rebrand unified the studio’s offerings under its new identity, improved client clarity, and drove a 165% increase in sales within the first year.